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| Our goal is to introduce a lot of color into our mini zebu while still retaining the small size and conformation. To get a truly accurate measurement of height requires that we get the cow to stand still on level cement and put a regulation measurement stick, with a bubble level, on her back. Our cattle are friendly but not quite that accommodating so I have described their height only in the general terms of small, medium, and large. Our smallest cows are around 34 inches tall at maturity, while our largest is around 42 inches. |
| The Miniature Zebu Cattle of Underwood Farms |
Zelda is a medium size gray cow (I would place her as no bigger than Willie from a field comparison) but has produced
some great color such as her daughter, Moonie. She is a faded red pinto but all of her daughters have remained red or loud
red pinto and have not faded so Zelda herself is split for the fading gene.
some great color such as her daughter, Moonie. She is a faded red pinto but all of her daughters have remained red or loud
red pinto and have not faded so Zelda herself is split for the fading gene.
Red may not have a very imaginative name but she is a great cow all around. She is small and throws that non-fading red
in all her calves. All of her calves have remained very small.
in all her calves. All of her calves have remained very small.
Zimi is a daughter of Red. She
is very small and we expect
great things from her.
is very small and we expect
great things from her.
| Bandit is a color breeder's dream. She has everything; small size, conformation (if you can see past the pregnancy in the photos), and the ultimate in color and pattern. When you have a lot of animals, coming up with good names gets harder and harder. Bandit has a mask, Butterfly has the image of that insect on her blaze and Red is, well you get the idea. |
| Butterfly is a little bigger than Bandit but still only a medium size cow. She has all anyone can ask for in color. I purchased both Bandit and Butterfly as "mini zebu" but it is most likely that they both have some mini beef breed blood in them. They are a little thicker than typical zebu but do have humps. Since the hump is mostly lost in the first generation cross, it is likely that they are probably 75% zebu, or at least 50%. As I cross them back on pure zebu bulls, I hope to produce zebu type, while keeping the color. |
Spot is the daugher of Red, the
year after Zimi. She will also be
a great size reducer while
keeping color.
year after Zimi. She will also be
a great size reducer while
keeping color.
| Willie is a foundation pure bull from the "Swede" line. His papers state that he is 36 inches tall, but measures in at exactly 42 inches with my regulation stick at 6 years old. Pure mini zebu, that are truly loud dark-and-white pinto, are about the rarest beast to find, so we are thrilled to have him to cross with our cows despite his height. He does have the slight-build frame of a good zebu but has a little more leg than I would like. If I could just cut a few inches off his legs and bring his size down some, he would be perfect! The Swede line does tend to get tall, but is well known for being strong in color. When I first saw him (spring of 09), I knew that he would make a great cross on to Butterfly and Bandit. His only other "fault" is that I have to constantly shove his behind out of the way as I do my chores. I would never keep a bottle fed bull due to the risk of aggression, but he is convinced that every bucket has grain in it just for him. So he follows about two feet behind me where ever I go. |
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| Click Photos to Enlarge |
| Click Photos to Enlarge |
| ZELDA - SOLD |
| Moonie is a daughter of Zelda. None of Zelda's calves, including Moonie, have ever faded to gray. Moonie has a lot of the "Swede" line in her background. |